Objective
The proposed project sketches the set-up of a vocational training
project and the establishment of a chef finishing school in
Windhoek (capital of Namibia), which is linked to a profit-generating
restaurant.
Reason why
Tourism in Namibia is experiencing tremendous growth
and it is expected that this trend will continue for years
to come, providing the country can maintain the political
stability it has enjoyed since independence.
In order to build a stable national tourism product Namibia
needs a qualified and skilled workforce in the various fields
of tourism. The problem is that there is a lack of training
facilities and that the demand for skilled human resources
by far exceeds the supply of graduates from various vocational
and tertiary training institutions.
In addition to the above it is our experience that there is
a severe shortage of potential management staff. On the other
hand, the Namibian government actively pursues the concept
of BBEE and Affirmative Action and would like to see more
formerly disadvantaged Namibians taking higher positions within
the industry. Hence, they first need to be ‘produced’
(trained to attain the correct qualifications) or be given
the tools to successfully start their own businesses.
The idea
The idea is to establish a chef finishing school, which
will have the sole purpose of producing excellence and professionalism
for the high end of the Namibian Tourism market in terms of
food and beverage management.
In order to give students a real life exposure to their profession,
an up-market restaurant is intended to be the driving force
behind the training facility. The restaurant is also envisaged
to become the main funding body of the training facility,
hence making the whole project self-sustainable in the medium
to long term.
The private partners
• The driving force behind the project is NamibRand
Safaris (Pty) Ltd., a reputed lodge operator who has been
in the business for ten years. The Wolwedans portfolio of
camps is regarded as one of the top establishments in Namibia.
NamibRand Safaris has – apart from striving for a top
quality product, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability
– a firm commitment towards social responsibility, mainly
so through education and training. The project must be regarded
as a ‘good-will’ effort.
• The Brückner family (for convenience sake seen
as a unit) are Namibian and own a big property in the heart
of Windhoek, which consists of a beautiful spacious old house
which, after substantial renovations and alterations, will
be available for the project at a favorable rent.
• Ralf Herrgott, a German citizen, arrived in Namibia
in early 2001. Mr. Herrgott is a professional Chef and has
trained and qualified in Germany. Mr. Herrgott spent two years
at Wolwedans and has turned the Wolwedans kitchen into what
is commonly referred to as one of the most exquisite in the
country. Mr. Herrgott is envisaged to be the executive driver
and trainer and would also be happy to stay on for a longer
period if not for good.
• Last but not least, Stephan Brückner (M.D. of
Wolwedans) is the co-initiator together with Ralf Herrgott
and is currently one of the main drivers of the project.
Aims
The aims of the project can be summarized as follows:
• Create a training facility, which can host the Chef
Finishing School called nice (Namibian Institute of Culinary
Education)
• Produce 10 – 12 professional Chefs for the Namibian
hospitality industry per annum who can be rated senior and
who are ‘ready’ to take up management positions
within lodges and hotels throughout the country in the field
of cooking and/or food and beverage management once they leave
the facility after 11 months.
• Create a first class restaurant, which will run as
an independent profit center and generate sufficient funds
to make the whole project self-sustainable after a start-up
period of three years. The restaurant will fund education
and training as well as serving the interests of the drivers
in the long term.
• In addition to training 10-12 (eleven) Chefs on an
annual basis, nice will also do crash courses in cooking and
hospitality for quicker and more broad based results. Such
courses and workshops would constitute an additional form
of income for nice and the restaurant
• Promote excellence with young Namibians and give them
the tools to become independent professionals in their field.
Structure
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here to view structure
Time schedule
With all funding in place (DEG grant for nice, bank
loan for property development and equity for restaurant, the
project is ready to kick off in June 2006.
Training at nice could start as early as September and the
restaurant is scheduled to open mid October. The first training
cycle will be completed by end 2006. As of 2007 training cycles
will be one year.
Funding
nice has secured a grant by DEG (Deutsche Entwicklungsgesellschaft).
This grant is by no means sufficient to get the project going….
Different costs and estimates are as follows:
• Costs for setting up the project until it kicks off:
mainly consulting and professional fees (carried by DEG grant
and NamibRand Safaris (Pty) Ltd.) will amount to NAD 300.000,-
• Development cost of property: Costs are estimated
at NAD 3.500.000 and will be carried by the property owners
(Brückner family)
• Development cost of restaurant (mainly movable asset)
will be around NAD 1.000.000 to 1.2 million are carried by
share-holders of restaurant (Wolwedans, nice, Ralf Herrgott
and Stephan Brückner)
• Running expenses of Chef school and restaurant: Carried
by DEG grant and restaurant (levy paid to nice)
Feasibility of the project/restaurant
Income for the chef finishing school nice would be by a monthly
“concession/school fee” which is pegged at 5%
of turnover and student fees (which will be marginal). With
DEG support for the first two years, nice will be able to
build sufficient reserves to carry on once DEG pulls out.
A detailed and conservative feasibility study indicates, that
the restaurant will generate sufficient funds to carry nice
as well as generate a return on investment for the shareholders.
Student selection process
Apart from post - graduates from institutions like
Polytec, Baumgartsbrunn etc., nice also intends to source
talent amongst practicing and promising Chefs who haven’t
had the chance to receive official training and qualifications.
It is envisaged to strike a good and co-operative working
relationship with the Polytechnic (Hotel and Tourism Training
School) as well as other training institutions and obtain
their full support. The focus must be on helping individuals
to strive for excellence. Hence only the most promising and
motivated graduates will be selected and accepted.
The Polytech supports the nice concept as it provides a perfect
‘next level’ of training which neither the Polytech,
nor anybody else in Namibia can offer.
Syllabus
Training – esp. the theoretical part – will be
according to a firm syllabus. Such syllabus is in the process
of being devised and will be available once the chef school
open its doors as well as a comprehensive training manual
to provide students with a well guided reference of what they
have to learn. A close co-operation with NTB/NQA is envisaged
and ideally graduates would get an NTB/NQA approval (according
to NTB/NQA’s code of standards).
International Relationship/ Exchange programs
In the long run we intend to create a relationship with one
or other German or international institution (i.e. the IHK
could possibly facilitate) or hotel school to enable very
talented students to potentially further their studies in
Germany or overseas as part of an exchange program.
Marketing
The restaurant will be marketed to the general public as well
as tourists visiting the capital. Where other up-market restaurants
have moved into price categories that are almost prohibitive
for local residents, the nice restaurant will offer exceptionally
good food for reasonable prices. The unique selling proposition
will be the training component.
Conclusion
The beauty of this project – providing everything
works out according to plan and occupancies are stable- is
a highly effective educational project for the benefit of
the Namibian tourism industry. The nice project is not only
self-sustainable, but earns all stakeholders money, including
the students.
The drivers behind this proposal deem this element - the commitment
from the private sector partners and their respective reward
- as the key success factor of this project. If it weren’t
for this incentive, there wouldn’t be much point embarking
on a project requiring such financial commitment and effort.
the Namibian Institute of Culinary Education
Restaurant & Bar at No. 2 Mozart Street,
Cnr. Hosea Kutako Drive
Tel 061-300 710
E-mail info@nice.com.na
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